US approves world’s first vaccine for declining honey bees

 

 
The US has approved use of the world's first vaccine for honey bees.
It was engineered to prevent fatalities from American foulbrood disease, a bacterial condition known to weaken colonies by attacking bee larvae.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a conditional license for the vaccine this week, according to the biotech firm behind its development.
As pollinators, bees play a critical role in many aspects of the ecosystem.
The vaccine could serve as a "breakthrough in protecting honey bees", Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser said in a statement.

Tanzania’s President Hassan ends 6-yr ban on opposition rallies

 

Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan has lifted a ban on opposition rallies imposed in 2016 by her strongman predecessor, in an overture to political rivals seeking the restoration of democratic traditions.
“According to our laws, it is the right of political parties to hold their public meetings… my presence today in front of you is to give permission… that the announcement to prevent public meetings is now lifted,”  local news outlet ITV, reported Hassan as saying on Tuesday.
She was speaking to leaders of Tanzania’s 19 registered political parties during a meeting at her office in the capital Dar es Salaam.

Francis Ngannou will be released from UFC contract, says Dana White

 

Francis Ngannou will be released from his contract and is no longer the UFC heavyweight champion after he turned down a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight fighter in UFC history, UFC President Dana White said in a press conference on Saturday.
“We offered Ngannou a deal that would make him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time,” said White. “He turned it down. We’re going to release him from his contract. He can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants.”
Jon Jones, who has signed an eight-fight deal, will face Ciryl Gane for the now vacant UFC heavyweight title in Las Vegas on March 8 after a three-year absence from the sport.

Tennis star, Naomi Osaka announces pregnancy

 

 Former world number one Naomi Osaka announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and will be taking a break from tennis until 2024.
"I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I'm looking forward to is for my kid to watch my matches and tell someone, 'That's my mom' haha," she wrote on Twitter, accompanied by an ultrasound picture of a pregnancy scan.
"2023 will be a year full of lessons for me, and I hope I'll see you guys at the start of the next one cause I will be back at the Australian Open 2024. Love you all infinitely," she added.

"I stand against everything that my father wrote against Meghan Markle" Emily Clarkson slams her father Jeremy Clarkson for bullying

 

 
TV presenter, Jeremy Clarkson’s daughter has joined in the backlash against him after he said that Meghan Markle ought to be paraded naked through the streets and have excrement thrown at her.
 Jeremy, 62, who is friends with Queen Consort Camilla, wrote in his column for The Sun that his hatred for Meghan Markle leaves him "unable to sleep."
 The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host said that he felt "sorry" for Prince Harry, who he dubbed a "glove puppet", claiming that the Prince is "controlled by his wife."
 Jeremy wrote: "Meghan, though, is a different story. I hate her."

Single-use plastic cutlery and plates to be banned in England

 

 Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.
It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations.
Campaigners welcomed the ban, but called for a wider-ranging plastic reduction strategy.
Government figures suggest that 1.1 billion single-use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year.

Ovidio Guzmán-López: Deadly riots grip Mexican state after arrest of El Chapo's son

 

 Three security force members have died in clashes in the state of Sinaloa after the arrest of a son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin "El Chapo".
Ovidio Guzmán-López - himself alleged to be a leader of his father's former cartel - was captured in Culiacán and transferred to Mexico City.
Furious gang members set up road blocks, set fire to vehicles and attacked a local airport.
Two planes were hit by gunfire - one while preparing to take off.
More than 100 flights were cancelled at three Sinaloa airports.
The state governor said earlier 18 people had been admitted to hospital.

Girl group Flo win the BBC Sound Of 2023

 

 
R&B trio Flo have won the BBC's Sound of 2023. Previous winners of the annual list, which showcases the next big things in music, include Adele, Sam Smith and Pink Pantheress.
The UK girl group were told the news by Stormzy, who called the newcomers "a breath of fresh air" who had "killed it in every single department".
"That's insane, right?" said singer Renée Downer, who formed the group with Stella Quaresma and Jorja Douglas.

Sri Lanka freezes recruitment in fresh austerity drive

 

  Sri Lanka began a fresh austerity drive Monday, freezing government recruitment as new taxes and higher electricity prices kicked in with authorities trying to secure an IMF bailout.
The Indian Ocean island nation needs to achieve debt sustainability as a precondition to a $2.9 billion bailout from the Washington-based lender after it defaulted in April as its economy went into crisis.
The IMF has also asked Colombo to trim its 1.5 million strong public service, sharply raise taxes and sell off loss-making state enterprises.
A record 20,000 civil servants retired at the end of December - eight times as many as usual according to the public administration ministry - after President Ranil Wickremesinghe reduced their retirement age from 65 to 60.

Amazon to cut more than 18,000 jobs, CEO says

 

 Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will cut more than 18,000 jobs from its workforce, citing "the uncertain economy" and the fact that the online retail giant had "hired rapidly" during the pandemic.
"Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we're sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles," said CEO Andy Jassy in a statement to his staff. The company had announced 10,000 layoffs in November.
Jassy said the company's leadership was "deeply aware that these role eliminations are difficult for people, and we don’t take these decisions lightly.

Lula da Silva sworn in as Brazil's president as predecessor Jair Bolsonaro flies to US after refusing to concede defeat

 

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been sworn in as Brazil's president while his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro flee to the US after refusing to concede defeat
 In a speech to Congress on Sunday after officially taking the reins of Latin America's biggest country, Lula said democracy was the true winner of the October presidential vote when he ousted Bolsonaro.
 'Democracy was the great victor in this election, overcoming ... the most violent threats to freedom to vote, and the most abject campaign of lies and hate plotted to manipulate and embarrass the electorate,' Lula told lawmakers.

Chinese government is under-representing severity of COVID outbreak - WHO alleges as more countries continue to restrict travelers from China

 

 A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official has alleged that China’s official data is under-representing the true impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, criticizing its “very narrow” definition of COVID deaths.
More countries are imposing travel restrictions on visitors from China in the wake of a steep rise in COVID infections in the country. Hospitals and crematoriums are overwhelmed since Beijing last month abruptly lifted more than three years of hardline restrictions.
 A senior doctor at one of Shanghai’s top hospitals said 70 percent of the megacity’s population may now have been infected with COVID-19, state media reported on Tuesday, January 3.

Four dead and several injured after two helicopters collide on Australia’s Gold Coast

 

 A midair collision between two helicopters in Australia has left four people dead and three others in critical condition, authorities said Monday.
The collision happened around 2 p.m. local time near the popular tourist strip of Main Beach on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane.
“Those two aircraft, when collided, have crash landed on the sand bank just out from Sea World Resort,” Queensland Police Inspector Gary Worrell, a regional duty officer for the southeastern region, told reporters.
He added it had been difficult for emergency services to access the sand bank, located not far from the coast.

Philippine floods: Death toll from landslides rises to 51

 

 The death toll from recent floods and landslides across the disaster-prone Philippines has risen to 51, officials said Monday, as authorities distribute food packs to the hardest hit communities.
The number of fatalities could rise further as rescuers search for 19 people still missing more than a week after heavy rain pounded central and southern regions over the Christmas weekend, according to the national disaster agency.
Bad weather struck as the Catholic-majority nation of 110 million people prepared for a long Christmas holiday.
More than 270,000 people had to seek emergency shelter as downpours inundated rural villages, left more than 4,500 houses damaged or destroyed, and wiped out over 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of crops.

Former Pope Benedict XVI, dies at 95

 

 Former Pope Benedict, 95, died on Saturday in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, a spokesperson for the Holy See said. "With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible," the spokesperson said in a written statement.
His death came days after Pope Francis had asked for prayers for his predecessor, saying he was "very sick".
For nearly 25 years, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict was the powerful head of the Vatican's doctrinal office, then known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

Nadal beaten again at United Cup

 

 World number two Rafael Nadal slumped to a second-straight defeat at the United Cup Monday in a setback to his Australian Open preparations, but Stefanos Tsitsipas and Iga Swiatek were both on song.
There was also more misery for former world number two Alexander Zverev, who, like Nadal, suffered a second loss to start his season, this time at the hands of Taylor Fritz.
Spanish 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal surprisingly crashed in his season-opening match on Saturday to 14th-ranked Cameron Norrie.
And he again succumbed after winning the first set, going down 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 to Australia's 24th-ranked Alex De Minaur in Sydney, including losing six games in a row in the second set.

Russia-Ukraine war: EU agrees 9th round of sanctions against Russia

 

 
EU leaders gathered in Brussels for their last meeting of 2022 and ended the year much as it started, with a meeting focused on Russia's war in Ukraine.
At a European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday, December 15, the EU imposed fresh sanctions (its 9th round of sanctions) on Moscow despite disagreements over easing the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers through European ports.
EU leaders also reached an agreement on a 15% minimum tax on large, multinational businesses.
The agreement will be confirmed in writing today.

Pelé, Brazilian football icon, dies at 82

 

  Brazilian football icon Pele, a three-time World Cup winner who is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, died on Thursday at the age of 82 - triggering a wave of tributes from the sports world and beyond.
His death after a long battle with cancer was caused by "multiple organ failure," the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement, confirming the news from the legend's family.
"We love you infinitely. Rest in peace," daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram.
The football world - from his former teammates to current stars - came together to honor "O Rei" (The King), who transformed the sport during a long professional career that began when he was still a teenager.